Tuesday, July 26, 2011

"Writing floats on a sea of talk," (1970, Britton).

I went to the 2 Sisters conference, The Daily 5 in Kindergarten yesterday. It was fun and informative. I left wanting more of course; however, what I learned should keep me busy for now. What is funnier to me is after reading a blog post this morning I am not hearing the voices of the sisters but instead the voice of one of my mentors, Geri Williams..."writing floats on a sea of talk." She loves this quote.
So from there, I typed "writing floats on a sea of talk" on the google search bar, and this is the article that got me really going this morning. (If you are just interested in the part that sparked me, check out the last section of the article).
I have always included a time with third graders for what we call "reading buddies." Why not a writing buddy too! There is nothing better than watching your students, every single one engaged, with a one-on-one partner, reading. I can only imagine the amazement I would feel to watch the same thing happen with writing. DUH! Why haven't I done this before? Maybe I ran out of steam to plan it or maybe I just needed this little spark to get me going. Wow, if I can train the third graders (with the help of an amazing third grade teacher) to confer with my little guys, how awesome would that be? REALLY AWESOME! Okay, so now I am just getting obnoxiously giddy, but I cannot wait to try this out. Kids get so tired of hearing me talk, I know some of them will be moved by their buddy talking. Anything that can get a kid moving is worth doing. Oh how cute, another catchy phrase. Happy day all!

4 comments:

Kellylou said...

I love the little sparks that grow into big moments in the classroom! Buddy writing is a great idea and an excellent way to get the kiddos excited to share their work. Can't wait to hear how it goes this year. :)

elsie said...

The more the kids can talk about their writing, the more they will write because they have rehearsed it and maybe their partner asked a clarifying question. Talk is so important!

Donna Smith said...

It's an exciting moment when you take on something new, and you can see it so clearly. Frustrating, though, to not be able to do it TODAY!

Linda B said...

I liked the article very much, especially since I teach the older kids & don't always know exactly what goes on with the younger set. My school has a buddy program that is so valuable to all ages. Children love & even continue the close relationship that is built after they leave the school. The younger ones look forward to being one of the 'older' buddies eventually. The pairs work on every kind of project, whatever the teacher believes is needed for the individual child. Good luck with the organizing; I believe it's worth it!